Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on Firemane and Qadiri. Codify a unit introduced in a thread.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Elemental support unit.
Permissions: Can use Firemane tech because I own the Company. ARGH gear available per this thread. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here. Can use Taegis because I'm one of the co-creators of the Eldorai species.
Links: Into Darkness, Qadiri.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Celestial Dragons.
Affiliation: Bakana Jai Aramal, House Kerrigan-Alcori, Siobhan.
Classification: Force Infantry.
Description: The Celestial Dragons are a martial order devoted to Kashara, the supreme goddess of the Qadiri's polytheistic pantheon. The Dragons worship her in the aspect of Kashara Arcitrax, the great goddess of the sky and stars. Their devotion stems from the moment they witnessed a great celestial event. Taking it as a sign, they vowed that they would follow the Goddess into battle if they triumphed over their foes. They were victorious and have followed her ever since.
The Celestial Dragons are composed exclusively of Qadiri aeromancers. They take in those who they believe have been blessed by the heavens. These adepts are highly skilled in lightning, rushing winds, rain and even foresight. They are adept in weather sense, which attunes them to the workings of local weather patterns. This allows them to predict the weather. Furthermore, they are skilled in Force Weapon. Their martial abilities make them a potent force on the battlefield, but they are not always used for warfare. Qadiri tend to live in arid regions, and so having aeromancers in your corner who can make it rain is very useful. They are also helpful for dealing with wild fires. The Dragons follow a code that stipulates they will aid those who pursue a righteous cause. Of course, charitable donations are a helpful way of proving one's righteousness. Religious fervour and more pecuniary motivations often go hand in hand. Some of their high mistresses have been honourable, others greedy and others again dangerous zealots. Many have been a mixture, equal parts devoted to gold, glory and the goddess. Though individual order members are not supposed to accumulate wealth, the group as a whole has owned holdings.
In this day and age, the Dragons have been coopted by Firemane. While the Qadiri have been exposed to the outside Galaxy and modern technology, most Dragons still perceive the new, strange world they find themselves in now through a traditionalist lense, applying concepts they are familiar with. They refer to space as the sky-ocean and starships as sky-ships, which are used to traverse the great, fathomless ocean in the sky. This does not equate to ignorance though. They understand how modern tech works and can utilise it, even if they sometimes approach it from the standpoint of mysticism and thus may come across as being overly superstitious. As worshippers of a sky goddess, they have been quite enthusiastic about seeing the stars for themselves. It should be noted that the Qadiri had a long tradition that there were other people living out amongst the stars. Hence the Dragons were able to adjust to the coming of the 'sky people' quite well after getting over their initial shock when offworlders started landing in huge 'sky-ships'.
Many of the Dragons have acquired skill at piloting small starships, meaning they do not have to rely on others to do the piloting for them. It helps that all Qadiri have inherent navigational talent, which can be likened to an internal compass. The Dragons make very good pilots when it comes to flying a ship through hazardous weather conditions and making a landing. This has been a cause of surprise for some bigoted Firemane employees, who arrogantly thought that the 'sand babies' should stick to ships with oars and masts. They still have a tendency to pray to the Goddess and bless their tools and the sky-ship before taking off. Religious iconography is quite prominent in the unit. It tends to have an air theme. They refer to creating or manipulating storms as summoning the sky dragon, though they do not mean this literally.
Given the nature of their powers, training among the Dragons is very rigorous - and at times quite dangerous. After all, careless use of their powers could cause great harm to themselves and innocents in their vicinity. The Order's instructors are harsh, but not sadists. The training regimen involves a lot of physical training as well as instruction on how to use her powers. There is a lot of meditation practice, which often involves levitation and floating meditation.
In the Order, the term 'sink or swim' has been changed to 'fly or fall'. Initiates are blindfolded and taken to the top of the cliff. That is what they were told at any rate. They have to slow their descent before they hit the ground. Because the Celestial Dragons are not idiots, it is actually more like a ten to twenty feet drop into water or a sand dune. This is still painful, but not mortal. Unlike some organisations, the Dragons categorically reject the idea of decimating their own people. They regard it as barbaric and stupid. An attempt who is able to overcome her fear and execute a successful jump will realise that it is less dangerous than claimed. Of course, a Mistress of the Order will actually have the knowledge and power to jump off a steep cliff and live to tell the tale. But the Order would never demand that of a recruit. They disapprove of careless waste of lives.
Acolytes are taught how to manipulate the wind, channel and absorb lightning. This involves being struck with lightning in order to learn absorption. They learn how to navigate through a storm with only the Force as their guide while being deprived of physical sight. They are also exposed to searing heat, which teaches them absorption and endurance. Finally they must face and control a storm. Working as a team, they must apply all they have learned. As of late, piloting lessons have been added to the curriculum. This includes learning to fly a craft under hazardous weather conditions. Daredevils and irresponsible individuals get short shrift. Instead they stress discipline, cohesion and teamwork. As powerful as an individual may be, she is nothing before the might of the Goddess of the Skies and Stars. It is her power the Dragon humbly calls upon when she utilises her goddess-given gifts.
The present leader of the Dragons is Bakana Jai Aramal, a powerful elemental warrior. Bakana was born in a poor peasant village. Her family was decimated during a famine. Once the starving, malnourished and dehydrated girl prayed for rain, and summoned a rain storm on instinct. The Dragons took notice of the girl and conscripted her as a donation. Having grown up poor, she at first believed that the Dragons should use their considerable power to help the downtrodden and resolve the problems of the world. However, she came to understand that not everything could be solved with the Force. Good intentions and magical power were not enough.
Bakana is a capable, but also rather flamboyant leader who can be a little aggressive and reckless at times. She dabbles in extravagant displays and is a bit of a showoff. She is not that popular among those who favour the old ways. The Mistress of the Sky Currents made the pragmatic choice to align herself with the winning side to advance her order. Bakana is an enthusiastic, but not particularly skilled compiler of tech. Her home is full of gizmos and gadgets. She loves them all and is quite proud of how knowledgeable she is, even though she has a habit of accidentally zapping them. In spite of her eccentricities, Bakana is a capable field commander, with a fearsome control over air, rain and lightning.
While genuine, her flamboyant personality is also a mask to a degree. It gets the less perceptive to underestimate her and be caught off-guard by her cunning. Thus she sometimes deliberately exaggerates it. To enhance her legitimacy, Bakana claims to be a descendant of the Dragons' founder. This is debatable. If they share any kinship at all, they must be extremely distant relations. However, Qadiri political and religious leaders tend to claim to be descendants of ancient heroines or deities, so she is hardly alone in that regard. Like most powerful Qadiri, Bakana was a slave owner. Abolitionists were few among her people and without influence. The economy depended on chattel slavery. When first confronted about it, she defended the institution. The idea that slavery was evil seemed as absurd to her as thinking that owning pets was evil. However, she saw the way the wind was blowing and emancipated her order's slaves. This allowed her to become their patron and put her in good standing with Firemane. Several of her former slaves still work for her - often in similar roles.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Equipment:
Armour:
Rifles:
- Reaper Plasma Shotgun
- ACS-207 Cryoban Gun. All variants.
- Arc Caster
Sidearms:
- Magnetic Revolver
- Shatter Pistol
- A280-CFE Blaster
- Cylix Bolt Pistol
- Static Pistol
- Renegade blaster pistol
Misc:
- Misc equipment such as medkits, lifeform scanners, meditation band, Force focusing visor etc.
- Grenades
Combat Function: The primary combat function of the Celestial Dragons is that of a long range support unit. They are elementalist who specialise in aeromancy, in other words the element of air. They take those in who are skilled in lightning, the rushing winds, rainfalls and even farsight. Force Weapon enables them to imbue an unpowered weapon with the Force for a period of time. They can also utilise Tutaminis to absorb energy and elemental attacks. Their elemental powers enable them to create strong winds, make it rain, create mist and summon lightning. With enough concentration and focus they can summon a sand, lightning, rain or thunderstorm or manipulate an existing one. For instance, if there is a storm going on they would be able to direct the lightning. This means that the Dragons can use their abilitie to strike enemy forces with the power of the elements, conceal allied troops and impede the advance of enemies.
Torrential rainfalls make it difficult to move fast after all, and can reduce visiblity. Moreover, heavy rain can trigger runoffs, flooding and flash flooding and, in extreme cases, mudslides. These phenomena are obviously situational. Their powers can do great damage to enemy infrastructure. However, their large scale abilities must be used with care, as they could otherwise hurt allies just as much as enemies. Wind and lightning abilities can be used against enemy aircraft by either targeting them directly or messing with their targeting by reducing visiblity. Of course, their abilities must be used with care. A carelessly summoned storm can be just as dangerous to allies as to enemies. They are good at energy absorption and protecting themselves from the elements. The highest-ranking members of the Order are able to use the Force to achieve sustained flight. In other words, Force Flight. However, this is an ability limited to a select few.
When it comes to the way it interacts with other elements, air is the opposite of earth. Earth is very strong on defence, hits hard and about grounded priorities. Air is more flexible and can outflank it. Rain makes the soil difficult to control. Their powers can also make them useful against droids and Force Dead beings from afar. Lightning is the bane of droids, cyborgs and can hurt Vong. Moreover, as demonstrated by the Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order during the Yuuzhan Vong War, a Force adept could in effect crush a Vong by controlling the air around him in an attempt to increase the pressure. Obviously the Dragons would still have to deal with the fact that they cannot sense Force Dead beings through the Force or use precognition to anticipate their actions. Moreover, the Dragons are capable pilots and sailors.
They are also able to enter a Force meld to increase unit effectiveness. This is a strong ability, but a double-edged sword. A great disturbance in the Force could overwhelm the melding participants as they received the pain through their enhanced senses. If the pain is caused by the minds the melding participants were touching, it could have very negative repercussions for the participants. If they are in the middle of a mind meld and are suddenly deprived of the Force through say ysalamiri, the sudden loss will not just be very disorientating for them, but also painful. This is something a canny opponent could exploit.
Qadiri have an inherent navigational talent. It can be described as a type of internal compass. This helps the Dragons find their way in the worst storms, both on the ground and in the sky. It makes them capable pilots. Their aeromantic powers make them a versatile unit. However, their primary role is as a support unit not as frontline soldiers. They are skilled in melee combat, but forego conventional heavy weapons or long range rifles. High-level applications of their power, such as a storm, also require time and focus. Several elementalists would also have to work together. Thus they would require protection from allied troops. Moreover, the Dragons rely a lot on the Force for long ranged combat. Being infantry, they would also be vulnerable to long range artillery strikes if detected.
Strengths:
- Highly skilled elementalists, with a focus on air and lightning powers.
- Elite warriors, and navigators.
- Reliant on the Force. Depriving them of it robs them of their biggest advantage.
- Lack heavy weapons or conventional long ranged weapons.
The Celestial Dragons have a long history, but it is often difficult to separate fact from myth. Qadiri are fond of oral storytelling. Epic ballads about love and war, heroes and villains, are much beloved among their people. The Celestial Dragons are not merely a military organisation, but also a religious order. This is reflected in the songs sung about them. They claim that a Qadiri warlord called Samaneh Jai Khansaral was their founder. Samaneh Jai Khansaral had led her troops on a bloody campaign against the Xioquo, the hereditary foes of the Qadiri. Warfare between the two races was endemic, though they often also fought their own kind.
The Saoshyant, the high priestess of the supreme goddess Kashara, regularly called on the Qadiri rulers to make common cause and wage holy war against the Xioquo, who were seen as twisted abominations. Of course, in actual fact the Qadiri were just as likely to war against each other. Even the Saoshyant was not immune to the game of thrones, as ambitious high priestesses sought to expand their temporal power and equally ambitious secular rulers schemed to ensure that a compliant Saoshyant would lead the church and favour them.
Samaneh herself had fought wars against her fellow Qadiri. She had even taken up arms against Krolis, from where the Saoshyant ruled. Participation in a crusade was a way for her to make amends for these sins and at the same time raise her status. Many crusaders have been motivated in equal parts by gold, glory and the goddess. However, the campaign was not under a good star, for their enemy was canny and the Qadiri crusaders were divided. Xioquo skirmishers targeted their supply train. Their witches used Force-based plagues to spread disease among the Qadiri soldiers. Morale was low when the armies clashed, especially after the Xioquo sorceresses conducted a ritual to blot out the sun, for they thrived in darkness. The first two days of battle went ill. When Qadiri forces launched an assault on the Xioquo lines, they made gains at first. Only to realise that the drows had tricked them, for they ran into well-organised defensive lines created by the Xioquo terramancers. The commander of the crusade, a Mirza, was struck by the poisoned arrow of a Xioquo archer and later died of infection.
Now in command, Samaneh was under intense pressure, for word was that Xioquo reinforcements were en route to encircle the crusading Qadiri forces. The crusaders were at a crossroads. The general had to resort to draconian punishments to prevent desertion. In this hour, she prayed to the Goddess for guidance. Then she beheld she saw a great comet light the sky. It is hard to separate truth from legend at this point, but the records claim that she summoned her closest lieutenants and priestesses for a council of war. There Samaneh announced that they would stand and fight. To ensure that she and her soldiers would have no other option, she ordered that they burn their ships.
Taking the celestial event as a sign, she and her followers swore that they would follow the Goddess if she granted them victory. Driven by fervour, they were victorious in the subsequent battle. The best aeromancers were gathered in one spot and Samaneh performed a ritual with them while they prayed. Acting in unison, they hit the Xioquo forces with a powerful storm. The crusaders called it a divine wind. It wreaked havoc on the Xioquo's positions. A huge wind struck them, and heavy rainfalls undid their earthen barriers. Driven by fervour, the Qadiri soldiers rallied and met the Xioquo on the field of battle. At the climactic moment the sun returned. Scriptures claim that the drows were smote by the power of heaven, which rained destruction down upon them, sparing none under the Xioquo banner. This is obviously a big embellishment. One imagines that celestial bodies did not rain down from heaven. What is certain is that at the end of the day, Samaneh and her surviving warriors stood victorious. The engagement went down in history as the Battle of the Starward Plain.
Taking this success as a sign of divine favour, the general declared that she would fulfil her sacred oath and dedicate herself to the Goddess of the Sky and Stars. She gave up her worldly titles. Her closest intimates followed her example. For Samaneh, this meant surrendering a claim to a Qadiri fiefdom. It should be noted that she continued to be very influential in its government. Indeed, surrendering her claim to it might have allowed her to become more influential than she would have been otherwise. Regardless, she and her followers called themselves the Celestial Dragons.
As was custom for Qadiri priestesses, Samaneh gave up her family name, replacing it with that of her Goddess. The first High Mistress of the Dragons was a very warlike, zealous woman. She pursued many campaigns against the Xioquo, but also against other Qadiri rulers. When she met her end in battle, her followers claimed that her body was raptured into heaven, leaving only her suit of armour and a Force-imbued blade. Both were recovered by her acolytes, who treated them as sacred relics. Ironically, she died at the hand of a Qadiri.
The fortunes of the order waxed and waned under her successors. Some were warlike zealots, others peaceful monks who focused more on how the Dragons could use their goddess-given gifts outside of the battlefield. Indeed, the Dragons were able to make a name for herself outside of their ability to strike enemies with tempestuous storms. Qadiri tend to live in arid regions. As a result, their skills were in high demand. The order would aid those with a righteous cause and a good donation, of course. They were also useful for putting out wild fires. Both their economic and military ventures made the order quite wealthy, though its members were officially expected to live frugal lives. The support of the Celestial Dragons was highly sort after among the ever-feuding Qadiri states, but they never committed to one side. A bit of bribery might sway them. They also earned coin by putting out fires in forests and cities, acting as a supernatural fire brigade of sorts.
The order had a fierce rivalry with the Sky Shatter Cabal, a sect of Khairmari aeromancers and raiders, who often attacked Krolian merchant ships. Young Bakana participated in one of the greatest battles the two sects fought. The battle took place at sea. Both sides had warships, retainers and elementalists. However, the weather duel got out of control. Several aeromancers exhausted themselves. Moreover, the power both groups unleashed created a maelstrom, which decimated their forces. Many mistresses on both sides perished.
Incidents like this are, incidentally, the reason why the Dragons do not simply use their powers to solve every problem with the weather, such as floods, droughts, storms and so on. Changing the weather or climate of an area was incredibly taxing and time consuming, even for a Master of the Force. Indeed, it could require channelling for days. Moreover, careless use could disrupt the weather elsewhere. So if one made it rain somewhere, one might be messing up the natural weather and causing heavy winds or unintended storms elsewhere. Moreover, even high-ranking members of the Order usually only attempt large-scale weather manipulation in a group, because otherwise they risk losing control or draining themselves. Both orders were able to recover from the losses, entering a period of cold war. Ironically, Bakana later cooperated with one of the Cabal's leaders, who had originally been a hostile of the Dragons, when they were confronted by a mutual threat in form of the Xioquo, who had summoned a kraken to prey on Qadiri ships. The Dragons distinguished themselves during the siege of Krolis, helping the Saoshyant and the Sistren of the Eternal Flame thwart a Xioquo invasion.
The arrival of the sky people brought about great changes for the Qadiri as a whole. The Dragons clashed with foreign raiders and pirates, temporarily putting aside a feud with the Sistren over a holy site. Firemane’s arrival on Tygara came as an even greater shock to the native cultures there. However, once the shock had worn off and the Xioquo were defeated, both Firemane and the Qadiri especially began to see opportunities. Not all were pleased though. After all, foreign overlords are seldom loved, no matter how well-intentioned they purport to be. Esfir Jai Rajava, Bakana's predecessor as head of the Dragons, was opposed to allying with the sky people. She believed the Dragons should remain neutral and even independent. However, Bakana argued that this would consign them to irrelevance. The dispute between the two came to head. To avert bloodshed among their followers, both mistresses decided to resolve it in a duel. Bakana managed to prevail, but spared Esfir and even offered her a place in the new order. However, Esfir refused and went into exile. Bakana became the new commander of the Dragons and entered into an alliance with Siobhan.
This decision did not meet with universal support. However, she had realised the way the wind was blowing and deemed it prudent to align with the winning side. In doing so she could secure and expand the Dragons' influence. Bazana had fought in the final battle against the Xioquo and gotten to know the sky people during the campaign. As it turned out, she proved to be a tough negotiator. She also proved open-minded on the issue of slavery, though a realist would rightly point out that her flexibility had more to do with pragmatism than with morals. After all, slavery was the norm on Tygara. Even the light sided Vashyada practiced it, though only to a limited extent. Under her leadership the Dragons began to introduce modern technology. She was one of the first Qadiri to make a trip into space.
It was Bakana who led a detachment of the Dragons when they made the journey across the sky-ocean to the distant world of Tephrike. This war-torn planet had been cut off from the rest of the Galaxy during the Dark Age and was now Firemane's latest battleground. Here, Firemane forces clashed with the Dominion of Light, a totalitarian, Jedi-led theocracy. Though Tephrike had technologically regressed due to its long period of isolation, the Dominion was a tenacious opponent. Motivated by religious fervour, many of its soldiers fought to the bitter end when Firemane assaulted Fortress Purity, a major Dominion base. Some turned themselves into living bombs. Moreover, the Dominion deployed Force-Using warriors in large numbers. Through use of a weather control machine, the Dominion troops summoned a storm to negate Firemane's air power. The storm made it extremely hazardous for Firemane to land reinforcements or conduct bombing runs. It also prevented Firemane's warships from simply bombing the base, though they were able to cut off the defenders from reinforcements through orbital strikes. The fighting between the two armies was intense and brutal.
Amidst all this, a transport ship bearing Bazana and her closest acolytes landed unmolested as if on parade. The storm mistress could have landed further away, but Bazana decided to create a show by landing right in the middle of the storm. Theatrics aside, Bazana and her comrades showed their worth after meeting Colonel Varkathras, the commanding officer of the Firemane ground forces. The Dragons were able to harness the storm. Using coordinates provided by Firemane soldiers on the frontlines, they were able to direct it towards the enemy. Bolts of lightning shot down from the sky, striking Dominion armoured vehicles and defensive positions.
This helped a combined force of Firemane and Republican Guard soldiers storm the Dominion lines, though the fighting was still savage. A fierce counterattack by the Vanguard, a unit of elite Jedi warriors, resulted in fierce close quarter fighting. The Dragons continued to provide support for Firemane troops throughout. Dominion sneak attacks compelled them to enter direct combat themselves at one point, clashing with the enemy in melee. When the battle turned ill, the Dominion commanders sent a brigade of Younglings on a suicidal death charge in order to cover their retreat. Firemane and the Republican Guard were able to take Purity, but at a cost. For the Celestial Dragons it was one of their first experiences of warfare outside of their native lands. They were among several Qadiri and Xiqouo warriors who proved their mettle on this day. This raised their prestige. Bakana was quick to recognise this and intends to use it to her advantage.
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